On Sept. 18, the Tippecanoe Valley School Board is slated to choose a
name for its high school football field. This has become a heated topic
in the district, one which I feel a need to weigh in on as both a
graduate of the school system (I was a freshman in 1975 when the
consolidated high school opened), and as a pastor in one of its local
churches. In writing, I know full well that many will scoff at what I
have to say, but none the less I am compelled.

Wow. What a political ride we’ve had in the last year. From the national
to local stories, it’s obvious we need to start holding our public
officials to a higher standard. We should demand no more hiding behind
closed doors or email voting or erasing of tapes.

The left opposes Trump at every turn, and then when something bad
happens they conjure up a way to blame Trump for it, when in fact, they
contribute to it and aid and abet it with their relentless attacks. Such
disrespect for the president emboldens these radicals. Threats of
beheading and assassination go unpunished. Those in government who cry
impeachment such as Pelosi, M. Waters, C. Schumer, etc., are complicit
in this.

The way I see it is that the Republican Party has totally used the
pro-life movement to move its agenda to screw the little guy. Lower
taxes for the rich, no health care for the poor and sick, and no
equality for people different from them, etc.

Any federal official, whether appointed or elected, who is rightfully
convicted of a felony, misdemeanor, willful neglect of duty, or gross
and hazardous incompetence in the performance of their job duties that
results in death, injury, property damage or loss of liberty should be
subject to one or more of the following remedies depending on the
severity of the offense: imprisonment, monetary fines, manual labor,
deportation, forfeiture of pensions and/or assets, loss of citizenship,
etc.

The baby Charlie Gard is dead and the British government made sure it
would happen thanks to the National Health Ser­vice, which considered
the life was expendable. His parents loved him and wanted him to receive
the best care possible in case a miracle cure could happen. But in
their infinite wis­dom, the NHS officials decided they knew better and
didn't allow the baby to be treated in the United States, where lives
are precious except in the abortion clinics where unborn lives are
considered "unwanted tissue."

My sister-in-law lost her husband, my brother Dave, unexpectedly on
April 11 of this year. She has called a couple of places for help to do
repairs inside and outside of her home but the agencies she called no
longer help. So I’m asking anyone in the community that can to help her
because she is unable financially to do it.

The biggest culprits in health care are the drug companies and insurance
companies. There are no restrictions placed on them. The amount of
money people have to spend out of pocket before the plan kicks in is
outrageous.

Money talks and criminals walk. This has been true in Chicago since the
days of Al Capone. If we want to fight against Chicago gangs, maybe we
should use a tactic that brought down Al Capone. Since gang members can
shoot and kill people and get out of doing jail time because the gangs
have enough money to pay the bail of the killers, maybe we should call
in the IRS and accuse the gangs of tax evasion.

It's not enough to say you're patriotic to prove you're a patriot. You
are judged by your actions. Millions of Americans prove to me every day
that they are un-American by their actions against America.

July 1 marks the 5-year anniversary of Indiana’s state smoke-free air
law. This law was a milestone for the state of Indiana in protecting
thousands of Hoosiers from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.

Congratulations to Sheriff Goshert on his selection at the recent
caucus. His acknowledgement of the training and guidance he had received
from the Rovenstines was very classy. All of the candidates were
well-qualified and will have plenty of time to make their case to the
public prior to the next election.

The day of a parent’s death should be a sad one for children. You have
to deal with the loss of a parent, the stress of funeral arrangements
and then day-to-day life in which you are living with that loss and
coping. In some cases, however, those feelings of loss, stress and the
feelings are never experienced. In some situations, children are written
out of a parent’s will because they do not obey a family’s demands.

It was reported in the Times-Union (Zolman, June 13) “reliable sources”
feel that the sheriff was “set up.” I?recall in the Times-Union that
Paul Heaton recorded (secretly?) the World War III discussion — so
Heaton had physical evidence and had proof (of intimidation).

Word on the street is that 13 GOP lawmakers, all men, have been meeting
in secret to craft the Obamacare replacement bill. One presumes that
they are working in conjunction with lobbyists who do not have the best
interests of Middle America at heart.

This coming Saturday, June 24, is the date of the annual Warsaw
Breakfast Optimists Club’s triathlon in Winona Lake. Because there will
be several hundred bicyclists on the Pierceton Road between 8-11 a.m.
that day, as a participant, I’m asking everyone to please avoid driving
on that road during the hours listed above. It’s hazardous enough with
only the bike traffic, but it gets very scary when you add cars to the
mix.

More than almost any other state, Indiana has been deeply impacted by
the effects of methamphetamine. The drug has ruined thousands of lives,
but we are finally starting to see a decline in meth labs across our
state.

We just finished the General Assembly session for this year. And for
those who are lovers of liberty like I am, it was tough. The General
Assembly once again thought it understood our rights better than we
did. Luckily for us, we had a defender of liberty in the Indiana House.

California is once again demonstrating what utter flakes they are. They
cut off the water supply to some farmers because it was endangering some
insignificant tiny little fish and consequently put hundreds of people
out of a job. This is another example of how deluded they are.

When I was a kid, everybody was looking for the first robin for spring.
Not anymore. Now I watch for Gold Wings, convertibles with their tops
down, garage sales, auctions no longer inside but outside, or wearing
baseball caps instead of sock caps.

Since 1900 the average life expectancy in the United States has risen
more than 25 years. However, despite our greatest breakthroughs, death
is still most people’s greatest fear and enemy, the inescapable and
inevitable fact of life. Nevertheless, there is hope. The good news of
Easter is there is life after death!

On Nov. 19, 1863, President Lincoln said that to ensure the survival of
America's representative democracy: that “a government of the people, by
the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Nevertheless, a government of the people, by the people and for the
people is vanishing, or has vanished from America.

Relay For Life is about a community coming together for a greater cause.
Nearly 3.5 million people come together to celebrate the lives of those
who have battled cancer, remembering loved ones lost, and empowering
individuals and communities to fight back.

During the 2016 elections, Trump supporters were chanting, "Jail her"
and "Hillary for Prison." But after the election, Donald Trump said that
she had suffered enough and would not pursue charges. And how did the
Clintonites repay Trump for his generosity?

The “American” Health Care Plan, or TrumpCare, is just another form of
Orwellian doublethink. It is a terminology of deception, and it truly
does define what “America” is made of. Why? Because to these rich and
powerful reptiles, when they say “American,” they mean the rich and
powerful. The “American” Health Care Plan is the healthcare plan of the
rich and powerful, you see … they are “America”, and this is their plan.

The following is the third part of my letter on reforming the Electoral
College and popular vote. The first two parts, which were printed in the
Jan. 25 and 27 editions of the Times-Union, listed background
information on the 2016 election results. This part of my letter will
begin with a proposed solution to the disparity between the electoral
vote and the popular vote.

Over a century ago we had a problem with anarchists. They bombed Wall
Street, killed people and wanted to overthrow the government. Today,
with all the people opposing Trump as presi­dent and wanting him to be
thrown out of office, we are having problems with neoanarchists. They
probably fear that Trump will keep his promises and do a great job.

In 2014, as a youth, I decided to get involved in state politics. I
campaigned for my state representative, who was not re-elected. At that
point, I really didn't have anyone I could call on as a mentor for state
level politics. Luckily, I met Representative Curt Nisly.

Editor, Times-Union:
I keep getting fliers from KCH listing all the health care services they provide. They cover all the age groups from child care to seniors. Good for them! I think KCH provides great benefits to our community.

Editor, Times-Union:
God created man in his image, if one is to believe the scriptures. I do believe them, and it follows that babies are indeed the image of God.
“WE,” you and I, by tolerating a morally corrupt judicial system, have accepted and even encouraged the slaughtering of some 60 million unborn babies since the time of Roe v. Wade.

Editor, Times-Union:
Thank you, Ron Shoemaker, for being a steward of
taxpayer money. Ron has been a great addition to our city council. His
preparation and understanding of the issues brought before the council
are commendable.

In the words of Dr. Seuss, “It came without ribbons. It came without
tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and
puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something
he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a
store? What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?”

Editor, Times-Union:
Contrary to rumor, I have not met a councilman
who is against providing fire station services to the south side of
Warsaw. The concern I hear from people is about the cost. When I vote,
I vote for people who assure me they are fiscally conservative.

Editor, Times-Union:
Voters can take a major step in changing the
culture in Washington, D.C., by enacting term limits for all three
branches of government through the means of a constitutional amendment,
which would help increase rotation of office and break up the entrenched
power culture in D.C.

Editor, Times-Union:
In the future of medical technology, treating
brain disorders will be accomplished by various means. Implants will
take care of such things as epilepsy, cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s
disease. But it will take possible reconstruction of the brain to take
care of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Editor, Times-Union:
I want to say what a great letter that Bob
Burris wrote that was in the Nov. 8 Times-Union paper. I also have had
some relatives that were in World War I and they had it very hard, but
never once did I?ever hear them complain about being in the thick of
battle.

Editor, Times-Union:
In the months and weeks leading up to the
election, Franklin Graham sounded a call to all Americans to gather at
the steps of our state capitols and pray for our nation. The call went
out to all, regardless of color, race, gender or political party. The
common thread that brought this diverse

Editor, Times-Union:
Everyone kept smelling natural gas off and on on
Court Circle in Winona Lake. Finally, NIPSCO was called and on Oct. 10,
marked there was a gas leak underground and said they would be back in
about a week to fix it.

Editor, Times-Union:
A few days ago we elected a new Republican
president of the United States. Hoosiers elected a new Republican United
States senator, a new governor and Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District
re-elected Jackie Walorski and elected state Senator Jim Banks as the
congressman from Indiana’s 3rd District.